Thomas A. Steitz
Thomas Arthur Steitz (born August 23, 1940) is the Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University, New Haven. He went and graduated from Wauwatosa High School. Steitz was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Ada Yonath "for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome". Steitz also won the Gairdner International Award in 2007 "for his studies on the structure and function of the ribosome which showed that the peptidyl transferase was an RNA catalyzed reaction, and for revealing the mechanism of inhibition of this function by antibiotics". Biography The work and science of Dr. Thomas Steitz are so transformative it is impossible to predict their ultimate impact. Dr. Steitz was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009. Having earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1966, Dr. Steitz went on to do post-doctoral research at both Harvard and MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England. He is Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Professor of Chemistry, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator at Yale University. Dr. Steitz has received nearly two dozen major awards but the Nobel is the most significant. It was awarded to Dr. Steitz and two co-recipients for their work “describing the structure and function of the ribosome.” These discoveries explain one of the most basic processes in all life forms, and are expected to lead to major breakthroughs in the treatment of bacterial infections. Yale President Richard C. Levin is quoted: “His work is a compelling example of how a quest to answer fundamental questions about life processes can lead to dramatic benefits for mankind.” In addition to being a stand out science student at Wauwatosa High School, TomSteitz was said to be a great saxophone player, sporting medals from State competitions on his band uniform. Career Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Steitz studied chemistry as an undergraduate at Lawrence University, graduating in 1962. While there he was a member of the fraternity, Delta Tau Delta, the Delta Nu chapter. In June 2010, the University renamed its chemistry building Thomas A. Steitz Hall of Science. He received a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from Harvard University in 1966 where he worked under the direction of subsequent 1976 chemistry Nobel Prize winner William N. Lipscomb, Jr. While at Harvard, after the training task of determining the structure of the small molecule methyl ethylene phosphate, Steitz made these contributions to determining the atomic structures of carboxypeptidase A and aspartate carbamoyltransferase, each the largest atomic structure determined in its time. The structure of the large 50S ribosomal subunit, which Steitz later determined in his own lab at Yale University, and for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize is even larger. Steitz did postdoctoral research as a Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Fellow at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology at Cambridge University during 1967–1970. He was also a Macy Fellow at the University of Göttingen during 1976–1977 and a Fairchild Scholar at the California Institute of Technology during 1984-1985. Honors *Macy Fellow, Göttengen, Germany, (1976-77) *Pfizer Award in Enzyme Chemistry from ACS, (1980) *Honorary D.Sc., Lawrence University, ((1981) *Fairchild Scholar, Caltech, (1984-85) *Investigator, The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, (1986-present) *Member, National Academy of Sciences, (1990) *Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, (1990) *Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, (2001-present) *AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize, (2001) *Rosenstiel Award for Distinguished Work in Basic Medical Sciences, (2001) *Lawrence University Lucia R. Briggs Distinguished Achievement Award, (2002) *Fellow, American Academy of Microbiology, (2003) *Frank H. Westheimer Medal, Harvard University, (2004) *Keio Medical Science Prize, (2006) *Gairdner International Award, (2007) *Nobel Prize in Chemistry, (2009) *Honorary Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry, (2010) *Foreign Member, Royale Society (2011) Private life He is married to Joan A. Steitz, also a Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale. In 2010, he lives in Branford, Connecticut. Category:Persons of Note Category:1940 births Category:Wall of Inspiration honorees Category:Wauwatosa East Alumni Category:Biochemists Category:Biophysicists Category:Crystallographers Category:Nobel laureates Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Category:Foreign Members of the Royal Society